Impossible Mission Force
- Secret group of elite agents (a.k.a. "the
IMF") featured on the drama MISSION:
IMPOSSIBLE/CBS/1966-73/ABC/1988-90.

Original IMF
Leader

"Good morning, Mr. Briggs. General Rio
Dominguez, the dictator of Santa Costa, makes
his headquarters in the Hotel Nacionale. We've
learned that two nuclear warheads furnished to
Santa Costa by an enemy power are contained in
the hotel vault. Their use is imminent. Mr.
Briggs, your mission, should you decide to
accept it, would be to remove both nuclear
devices from Santa Costa. As always, you have
carte blanche as to method and personnel, but of
course should you or any member of your IM Force
be caught or killed, the secretary will disavow
any knowledge of your actions. As usual, this
recording will decompose one minute after the
breaking of the seal. I hope it's welcome back,
Dan. It's been a while." -- Message
from the 9/17/66 Pilot Episode

The IM Force allegedly worked for the United
States Government, who carried out covert
operations both foreign and domestic, protecting
the Free World against subversive groups.

IMF team: 1967
Season

The team was first headed by Dan Briggs (Steven
Hill) and later by Jim Phelps (Peter Graves) who
were responsible for coordinating and choosing
agents for the Impossible Missions.

Each assignment began with a tape recorded
message (voice of Bob Johnson) summarizing their
target and ending with the foreboding
warning..."as always, if any of your I.M. Force
be caught or killed, the secretary will disavow
any knowledge of your action. This tape will
self destruct in 5 seconds...Good Luck,
Dan/Jim."

After listening to the recorded message, Dan
(and later Jim) sorted through a number of
dossiers to find the right agents for the
mission. The agents chosen, they met at a
luxurious apartment to plan their mission.

Regular IMF agents included:

Barbara Bain as Cinnamon Carter, a beautiful femme fatale

Martin Landau as Rollin Hand, a master of disguise

Greg Morris as Barney Collier, electrical expert

Peter Lupus as Willy Armitage, resident strong man.

IMF Team: Paris,
Willy, Barney and Jim

Later agents included:

Leonard Nimoy as Paris, master of disguise

Sam Elliot as Doug

Lesley Ann Warren as Dana Lambert

Lynda Day George as Lisa Casey, disguise
expert

Barbara Anderson as Mimi Davis

IMF Team: Phelps, Willy, Dana, Barney, Paris

"Good morning, Mr.
Phelps. Two weeks ago, one million dollars in
gold bullion intended for the underground in one
of the anti-western satellites was intercepted
by that government's military police.
Preparations are now being made to ship the gold
behind the Iron Curtain. This loss to the
resistance movement will set back for years any
chance for liberty in that country. The man
you're looking at is Nicholas Groat, whose
reputation as a brilliant chess master has given
him entry and enabled him to con and steal on an
international scale. Groat has organized a group
which plans to steal the gold for itself before
it is shipped out of the country. Your mission,
Jim, should you decide to accept it, is to stop
Groat, get the gold, and turn it over to the
underground. As always, should you or any of
your IM Force be caught or killed, the secretary
will disavow any knowledge of your actions. This
tape will self-destruct in ten seconds. Good
luck, Jim."-- Message from 1/14/68 episode "A Game
of Chess"

IMF Team: Casey, Max, Jim, Grant, Nicholas

When the series returned to TV in 1988 Peter
Graves reprised his role as Jim Phelps. His IMF
team included:

Thaao Penghlis as Nicholas Black, actor

Anthony Hamilton as Max Harte, muscleman

Phil Morris as Grant Collier (Barney
Collier's son)

Terry Markwell as Casey Randall

Jane Badler as Shannon Reed, athlete

This time round the unseen benefactor of the
group (still the voice of Bob Johnson) was heard
on CD-ROM Disc instead of a tape recorder.